Kindness Leads to Respect
Prologue "Are all medicine cats present?" The small brindle form of the apprentice stared at her mentor, she had been training for moons, possibly seasons. for this moment. She didn't want to blow it all now. Four other cats were present around the moonstone. The Riverclan medicine cat, and her apprentice. the Windclan medicine cat, and the Shadowclan medicine cat. "Good, I'd like to start us off with something very important." Emberspot flicked her tail for her apprentice to come forward. She looked unsure, but the small brindle form crept forward anyways. Before her mentor proceeded to speak. "I, Emberfoot, Medicine Cat of Thunderclan. Call upon my warrior ancestors tonight to look down upon this apprentice. She has trained hard to learn the ways of a medicine cat, and to follow your code by heart and mind, and nothing else." She felt her mentors gaze rest on her, all eyes on her. "Mothpaw, do you promise to uphold the medicine cat code. To serve your clan, and others. To look past rivalries, and see all clans as one. No matter what the cost, and no matter what it does to your life?" Mothpaw felt a lump in her throat, this was it. Just say the words, say the words. That is what will make her a full Medicine cat, after that. There would be no turning back for her. There was a long, tense moment. ". . . I do." With a nod of approval, her mentor turned back to the moonstone. "Starclan! This apprentice has taken the oath of a medicine cat, and has endured the training that came with it. With these words, and ask of you to make her a full medicine cat in your turn. And with these, I, Emberspot, name Mothpaw, Mothpelt. Medicine Cat, of Thunderclan." "Mothpelt! Mothpelt! Mothpelt!" Mothpelt almost fell over from the sheer amount of anxiety and shock welling in her stomach and mind, she could hardly focus as Emberspot continued. "I respect and honor Mothpelt's intelligence, kindness, and patience. I am proud to call myself her mentor, and I believe that she will serve Thunderclan and the will of Starclan for many seasons to come." With that, Emberspot rested her gaze on Mothpelt once more. "I'm proud of you, Mothpelt." Chapter 1 Dawn light seeped from over the highstones, spilling into the rivers that divided four territories. A grassland, a marsh, the pines, and the woodland. Morning dew still covered this forest territory, as the sky began to just then pale with a new dawn, Only a few warriors roused then, before the sun poured into the Thunderclan camp, waking the others with its presence. Mothpelt opened her eyes, taking a moment to appreciate the morning light seeping into her den. It felt good on her back, the direct sunlight brining a warmth with it she couldn't describe. Soft snoring came from beside the brindle medicine cat, a purr rumbled in her throat. The small pale honey-colored and white apprentice was still asleep, and probably wouldn't wake for awhile yet. That was fine, Birchpaw needed as much rest as possible. Reluctant, Mothpelt stretched, and yawned. Taking a moment to keep moving until she heard her back let out a satisfying pop! ''before lazily padding out of the stone walls of the Medicine Cat Den. There was the deputy, busy as usual. The leader sitting there, eyeing every cat to make sure they were doing their jobs. His emerald gaze fell on her. "Good morning, Mothpelt!" The brown and black tom gleefully jumped down from the High-rock, suddenly seeming for more animated and alive. Mothpelt and Duststar had been good friends since apprenticeship. a good relationship between medicine cat and leader was always a good thing. "Good morning Duststar, keeping Ebonystream on a strict timing as usual I see?" The grey brindle-furred medicine cat nodded in the direction of the deputy, then surpressed a gasp. Ebonystream snapping at someone wasn't anything new. He was always short-tempered, and stubborn. That couldn't be cured like illness, sadly. "What do you mean you're stuck training Hiddenpaw!?" Brokenbelly didn't back down from the tom, flicking his tail in irritation to his deputy. "I mean what I say, I need to train Hiddenpaw today, and wont be able to attend the sun-high patrol." Shaking her head, Mothpelt brought her amber gaze away from the two bickering toms. Back onto Duststar, who had now also followed her gaze. Disappointment sparking in the light of his eyes. No cat could question Ebonystream's loyalty, that was set in pure stone and nothing else. But they could challenge and tip his temper very easily. In Mothpelt's opinion, he really shouldn't have been deputy. But, the brindle she-cat couldn't bring herself to say anything about it. This was Duststar, he needed reassurance. Someone to tell him was doing a good job, and wasn't that her duty as Medicine cat? To stay by her leader's side? Yes. yes it was. So she wouldn't say anything, it wasn't too bad. Maybe by leadership he'd learn, right? , , ,Right? Yeah, most likely. It was bound to be that way. And if it wasn't well, she was there. And if she wasn't he'd have Birchpaw. That was just how it was, leader business like this wasn't for a Medicine Cat to stick their nose into. "He really needs to learn." She was pulled out of her thoughts, her ember gaze sweeping the clearing, and landing on Duststar once again. "Ebonystream?" The leader nodded his broad head, Mothpelt jumped up. "Of course he does! He's young, Duststar. That's just how it is, he'll learn." Standing up for Ebonystream, the last thing she'd ever ''want to do. But Duststar was her leader, and closest friend. What else could she say 'Hey! I don't like your choice of deputy, choose a new one!' ''Gladly, she'd gladly say that. But she couldn't bring herself to, Ebonystream had done nothing wrong, he was just a very snappy tom in general, and that was fine. As long as it didn't put the clan in danger, that was perfectly fine. Everything would be okay, right? Yeah. "...If you say so." Her leader looked around the camp, it was so peaceful. But they didn't have nearly as many kits as they needed last year. There weren't many cats now, here's to hoping they'll be more kits to train this year. Chapter 2 A yowl spilt the air into a series of shrieks and hisses, making Mothpelt nearly bump her head on the top of the stone den, ''what in the name of Starclan- ''It only then dawns on the medicine cat, battle cries! The medicine cat grabbed a leaf wrap of cobweb, goldenrod, and more. Before blitzing out of the den, however instead of being met with the camp wrestling with dogs, or foxes, even another clan for their lives... What did she find? Ebonystream wrestling some rogue to the ground, with Brokenbelly trying to pull him off of the poor cat! "Ebonystream!" Mothpelt padded forward, intentionally crashing into the two toms to break up the fight. What lay before her was a bulky, calico tom. Wounded from the Thunderclan Deputy's claws. "Poor thing, come here." The medicine cat in her flared up, and she grabbed some goldenrod from her leaf wrap. "Mothpelt, what are you doing? This is a rogue! You shouldn't be wasting your supplies on it!" Mothpelt froze, bringing her steady blue gaze to Ebonystream. Her fur did not bristle, but her eyes held anger. She looked around the clearing for a moment, all eyes on her. ''I, Mothpelt, medicine cat of Thunderclan. Promised to my mentor that I would look past all boundaries and rivalries. Even for loners. With that, Mothpelt opened her jaws to speak. "I, Mothpelt, Medicine cat of Thunderclan, once promised to Emberspot that I'd look past all boundaries and rivalries. To treat the wounded no matter what I have to do. I put my mind before my claws, Ebonystream! Bloodshed is a natural part of life, but only a fool would charge into battle with no fear. You have put your claws where your mind should be, and have forgotten that you of all cats need to be wise in your every moment of life, in every movement you make, and every breath that enters and leaves your lungs." She then glanced down at the tom. "This is not an 'it'. You do not disrespect the cats outside the clan, purely because they live outside our ranks. Only a cat with a brain of blood-sucking ticks would do that. For you to misjudge the difference between rogue and loner, is for you to show yourself having the mind of a warrior's apprentice. Always ready to attack anything not of Thunderclan." Mothpelt brought her gaze to the other cats. "Take this as a lesson, those wise would know not to attack unless you are attacked first. Anyone with respect would leave the territory without a fight. anyone of bloodlust and violence would kill anyone who comes near their ever expanding land, in their greed for more." She then looked back at her deputy. "And you, you make for a dangerous deputy, Ebonystream. You're not leader yet, you ''can ''be dragged from the branches to the roots of your tree. Watch your words and your actions, while Duststar will tolerate it: Starclan will not." . . . It was a tense moment, Ebonystream did not respond to Mothpelt's words. The older she-cat still glared him down. But the deputy just stood there, black ears pressed against his head. The black and white striped tom turned around, and walked off. Mothpelt looked over at Duststar, her leader only stared at her for a moment, before giving a curt nod, turning, and walking off. Her moment of power seemed to vanish from under her paws. ''I just went off at the deputy! ''